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Sunday, August 31, 2014

Today, we have a special guest! Let us welcome Paula Bell, author of 'Eternity Can Wait', who will be the guest of today and she's written her first novel and was just released this year! So, enjoy and anticipate!

"Eternity Can Wait" by Paula Bell

“Eternity Can Wait” is a magical, Young
Adult novella.

Part paranormal romance, part modern-day
fairy tale, it’s a story full of danger, hope, and love.

Jilted by her boyfriend and abandoned by her
best friend, Jenny’s summer is shaping up to be a complete disaster. Even her
college plans have been wrecked by her ex-boyfriend and the blonde cheerleader
he dumped her for. Jenny is facing the prospect of not only a miserable summer,
but also a long and unexpected gap year alone.

The only thing that gets her off the sofa and
out of the house is the thought of visiting her aunt, and meeting up with some
old friends out of town.

Jenny’s journey doesn’t run smoothly. With her
car abandoned at the roadside in the middle of nowhere, she faces a choice. Does she head back home, or should she take a risk
and continue on foot through the notorious woods she’s grown up hearing so many
eerie stories about?

A mysterious stranger steps in to
help her.When
Jenny finds out who, and what he really
is, nothing will ever be the same for her again.

Here's the characters for the story!

Some of my favorite paragraphs:

Christian
took her into the woods away from the village. They came to a small clearing,
where beautiful flowers and lilac bushes grew. The air carried the fresh scent
of fir and pine. The forest was glowing in gold and green under the bright
sunlight. Jenny walked slowly, trying to absorb every moment.

There
was a sunny place, where some flowers were crestfallen. They looked as if they
would fade soon. Jenny felt sadness at the sight. Christian noticed it in her
eyes, and walked slowly to the flowers. He reached out his hand to them. They
suddenly stood up as if they had been moved by an invisible force, and they
looked fresh again. Jenny couldn’t believe her eyes.

Quick Review: Six months ago, Avery thought the world ended outside Dome Four. Thought she was one of the few of her kind. Thought the war that brought the human race to the brink of extinction was over.But six months can change everything.After fighting to escape a tyranny she didn't even know existed, Avery has had to come to grips with all the secrets she's uncovered. But more secrets continue to come to light, revealing how little of her world she truly knew. When evidence starts to show that Dome Four might be under siege, Avery knows what she must do.Returning to the dome she longed to escape is a challenge for Avery, but now she knows there’s corruption lurking in the shadows. A massive steam shortage leaves half the dome without power, and people are falling ill. Dying.And they’re blaming Avery.Six months can change everything. One more month could kill everyone. The clock is ticking.Detailed Review: <<I received an ARC of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review>>

Iron Pendulum is the long-awaited sequel to Steel Lily. Yes, long-awaited, because I couldn't wait to see what Avery and her friends were going to do to help Dome Four and its inhabitants.

When I was reading, I found myself laughing and smiling one moment and panting the next, and then possibly crying.

The laughing part was mainly from Jaxon and his sharp tongue, as usual. The crying and panting? Well, there definitely wasn't anything funny.

I was ranting about Iron Pendulum to one of my blogger friends, Anna from Enchanted by YA. And this is what I told her.

IRON PENDULUM IS 10 TIMES BETTER THAN THE HUNGER GAMES.

Because if you compare it to The Hunger Games, come on. There is seriously no need to compare. Iron Pendulum was such a good book, and undoubtedly much better than its predecessor too.

Let me justify this statement.

So much betrayal. So much I think I almost died on the spot when I found out who the traitor was. And yes, when you find out who the traitor is, the twists will come. All at once. BOOM BOOM BOOM. Be ready.

And so much tragedy and pain as well. I really felt so much pain for Avery that I wanted to cry, because no fifteen year old, even one destined to be the hope of the people, should experience what she went through. Of course, the characters each had their own part to play in the book and I adored all of them. Even Riggs.

Except some, of course. Like Xander, for example.

And someone who you wouldn't expect to hate when you reach the end.

The story was perfect. I shall leave it at that. That sentence is enough to show what I thought about the book.

And don't worry about the action. There's action already waiting for you in the first chapter, and it builds up to one explosive climax at the end.

As well as one cliffhanger.

My pleasure for giving you this warning.

Brief Review: Iron Pendulum needs to be read by every single dystopian fan, because I believe that it really is the trademark of the dystopian genre. Not only did it speak of hope in its simple but beautiful writing, it spoke of love in its many forms, from family to friends. That, I believe is what every true dystopian book should have, besides an oppressed world searching for hope. Megan Curd did it right and I just want to thank her for writing this sequel so perfectly.

Final Rating: 5/5 (no questions about it! I'd give it a six if I could!) 'Totally Amazing!!!'

QUOTE:

Something Riggs said about trust struck a chord within me,

To be trusted is a greater compliment than being loved--- George MacDonald

Your Reviewer:

Here's an excerpt that gets my adrenaline running! If you like it, I urge you to read the whole book! Hint: this happens in the first chapter.

“Jaxon…” I said, trailing off.

“Run.”

Alice’s voice rose in panic. “Jax, what do you mean—”

“When, in the history of the English language, has run ever meant anything other than run?” Jaxon’s every word was laced with tension.

And that’s when I heard them; the feral snarls of what used to be human beings echoing down the tunnel.

Ground Zeroes—or Zeroes, as we’d come to call them since meeting up with the Alliance—the burned army of Xander’s Resistance.

Sari took three steps back before turning on her heel. “I think we should go now.”

We backed up, trying to be as silent as possible in our exit. But then I stepped on the bones of a rat skeleton.

Echoes, then silence, and then it came.

Wild, livid, tortured growls, that shouldn’t come from any human being, rang through the tunnel. The cement shook, and I knew we were done for. There was nowhere to go; nowhere to hide.

Megan Curd is a graduate of Northwestern College in St. Paul, Minnesota. While having always enjoyed reading any books she could get her hands on, Megan didn’t begin writing until a friend encouraged her to do so while in college.

When not writing, Megan enjoys spending time with her family and friends. Photography, traveling and snowboarding are hobbies she loves, and she doesn’t turn down the opportunity to play xBox with her brother and friends when it presents itself.

Megan currently resides in Ohio with her husband and son, where she is trying to convert them into Buckeye fans.

Friday, August 29, 2014

Hi everyone! We are proud to announce that our blogoversary has arrived! THE BLOG HAS TURNED TWO!!! Another year has passed and it's unbelievable to think to that we've been blogging for two years! You may think that it's quite a short time, but believe me, blogging is not easy. Take it from the girl who does reviews late at nights and reads a lot to update the blog with great content. And take it from my co-blogger, Chloe, who complains of strained eyes after hours of staring at the computer screen when designing the blog.

I've been looking at our blog stats and I'm amazed at how far we've come. Again, you may think they're not a lot, but it's our hard work and passion that got us this far, so I'm pretty satisfied with them. At least we're in the triple digits!

Here they are:

338 posts

88042 pageviews

367 GFC followers

196 Twitter followers

284 Bloglovin' followers

You must be wondering how we will be celebrating this momentous occasion, and I have decided to not just host giveaways, but to also interview authors as well! If you're curious to know who will be our guests, here's the list!

Lindsay Smith

Danielle L. Jensen

Skylar Dorset

Diane Mannino

Melissa Pearl

Kate Bassett

Also, each author will also be giving away swags and copies of their books, so come and join us in this celebration!

The interviews will be coming up soon, together with the giveaways, so I hope you'll be patient and stay tuned for them. I'll certainly be updating this post with the authors' names linking to their interviews when an interview has been posted!

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Blurb: Seventeen year old Aqua Vickers lives a secluded life in the English countryside. She keeps herself that way, hiding in plain sight, out of fear. She has no idea where she came from or what she is, she just knows she isn't human. Her mother is convinced she's an angel, but does having wings make you an angel? Sharp, angular and intimidating black wings?The only other person Aqua has let into her life is Aaron, her best friend. They've grown up together, shared every milestone and Aqua's feelings for him have developed into something more. In a moment of impulse, Aqua revels her true nature. Aaron freaks, hurting Aqua so badly that she flees into the night.

Lucas has been watching and waiting. As an Angeli Tail it is his job to be a spy; and he's been ordered to watch Aqua. Lost and vulnerable above the clouds, Aqua is reaching exhaustion. When Lucas offers her the answers she seeks, she follows him impulsively.

In a city, carved into the rock of a mountain, Aqua discovers she's not as alone as she thought; and her life has been rooted on a bed of lies and deception. In her absence, her home is attacked and her mother taken. With this new enemy intent on her capture and new family who aren't all welcoming, Aqua must integrate and train with the Angeli Guard if she has any hope of rescuing her mother from the hands of the Dragone.

The Angeli Guard Master is unforgiving and ruthless, allowing Aqua little rest from his relentless and painful training exercises. Aqua can barely stand to look at him, but can't seem to exterminate the butterflies she feels when he's around.

War is coming but Aqua's battles may need to be fought closer to home.

Detailed Review:

< ebook copy provided by the author herself >

OK, when I started this book, honestly I was kinda irked by the short sentences. I mean it is good to keep your sentences short and informative but it felt like the character was shortlived and out of breath most of the time. It made me feel...'irked' because I didn't really see an importance within the main character due to the short off writing and it made me think of her as a side character.

The writing is good, pretty neat and sparkly, nothing wrong but I guess you could say that it was quite well done to the point of perfection but it lost it's touch. You know the writer's feel within the words like there is something that makes this book the author herself. Do you get what I'm trying to say? It lost it's authenticity or it's feel of being the author's work, a little evidence here and there that sprinkles the author into the pages.

But anyhow, the story of Aqua is quite interesting and how she has come to know that she has these black wings and how she confronts them to her best friend who rejects it ultimately. It was such a crushing feat to Aqua. But I do love the character style that the author's drawn up. She's really put a little bit of personality for the characters throughout the story. When Lucas came in, I was like "Seriously?" Yes, the Lucas character was unsettling, totally bleh to me. The moment he came in, I disliked him. It was this feeling in my gut that definitely spelled out 'H-A-T-E'. Have you ever felt that way about a character? Secretly, I prefer Aqua's dorky childhood best friend. There was only the occasional sarcasm that continued during the book and that held out the story's significance for Aqua. It helped to express more of her emotions and you could tell that she is quite sardonic with Lucas and somehow it has definitely pushed a lot of puncture points to enable the story have more personality. But what I especially love from this book was it's fantasy. I love how the author had created this world where humans evolved from birds and humans from mammals. I can actually picture a mountain full of characters with beautifully etched wings on their backs in different shades and how they each all signify a role within the story. It became so apparent that parts with Aqua discovering who and what she actually is was the main goal that made me consistently think about how these bird-human creatures called Avian /Angeli came into the story. Those parts made me very interested in these beings and invite a more original storyline that is hard to find as everyone is always looking for the usual vampires, werewolves, etc. instead of creating their own new species; that was one of the points that made me accept this request. In the 'book world', I think, many people are writing the same thing over and over again, it becomes overrated and quite boring. It typically makes me yawn whenever I pick up a book with the same storyline, same characters, same setting but otherwise this story has something different. It has imagination.

Brief Review: A truly transcendent fantasised reality that made me enjoy it's telescopic world of evolutionary winged human beings. Searle, has created a book full of wonderful creatures and the coinciding fate of one Angeli who still believes in humans.

Chandler Raines and her “dad” are on the run. Never staying in one place for very long. It’s just not safe. When they arrive in Lafayette, Louisiana, Chandler quickly realizes this is the place she wants to call home. Friends, a cute boy, and competitive cheerleading have her taking dangerous risks to have the life she always wanted. Risks she promised she wouldn’t take.

When her lies catch up to her, a decision has to be made. Stay or run? Will the evil that’s chased them for the last four years catch up to them? When Chandler’s past comes screeching into the present she’ll have to sacrifice everything to keep what she loves safe. But will it be enough?

Elena lives and writes in a suburb North of Los Angeles.She has never lived anywhere besides California which is probably a good thing since she hates being cold and is terrified to drive in the snow. She loves being a wife and a mother to her three kids and three dogs, although really the bulldog is the fourth child who has never matured beyond the toddler stage.

A self-proclaimed nerd, she has been writing since she was a child. She has only recently, however, come out of the closet about this to her family and friends.They now understand better, but not completely, why she talks about characters in stories as if they are real people.